The Mystic Creation

The Armenian plateau is rich in natural stone corridors called Devil’s bridges. The largest viaduct on the Vorotan River is over 30 m long, while the pass through which lies the way to Tatev monastery, has a width of 60 m. Such monuments emerged as a result of the joint work of the wind and water, which have been perforating and polishing the massive abyssal clods for thousands of years. A whole complex of Devil’s bridges has been formed in Ijevan Region in Armenia, in the deep gorge of the Khachaghbyur River. Situated in the village of Yenokavan, 160 km north from Yerevan, the woodland is known as Lastiver and Anapat. It is particularly abundant in historical monuments. Some of them are not hand-made, for example, the clods that form corridors and connect the edges of the steep mountain ledges. Although the bridges were formed because of strong winds, the cave-men adhered to a more mystical point of view. They imputed the creation of the bridges to the evil spirit, which they believed was some ugly matter that wandered in the mountains day and night. With the sharp blade of his obsidian claws, the Devil perforates the gorge and announces hunt by blowing the moon horn. And if he cannot cross the river, he throws over it his own bridges.